Signing up to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu seemed easy enough: pay some money, sign up a couple months ahead and hit the gym. After all, they said that any reasonably fit person …
July 16, 2009
Go Abroad!
Hiking the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu
Montevideo, Uruguay
“I feel like I’m back in 1950s America,” commented a visiting American. An amiable people, first-world atmosphere and slow pace of life combine to make Montevideo, Uruguay. Smaller than the state of Washington, Uruguay is …
July 15, 2009
Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
“Pandemonium” would be an appropriate word to describe a soccer, or futebol, match at the venerable Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Maracanã is the mecca of futebol in Brazil – every child in this …
July 15, 2009
Ein Gedi National Park, Israel
West of the Dead Sea lies Ein Gedi National Park, an area with terrain similar to that of San Diego. A beautiful, arid mountainous region, Ein Gedi is how I pictured all of Israel. With …
July 13, 2009
Paris, France: One's Own Village
My favorite city on this planet is Paris. You can do all the things the guidebooks tell you to do. Or you can do what I do, which makes Paris one's own village. To wit: …
July 13, 2009
Tiger Country: Koshien, Japan
Baseball games in Japan are more than fun, they're a cultural experience – and the Hanshin Tigers are the pinnacle. Based in Koshien, the Tigers’ stadium opened in 1924 and is one of the oldest …
Carnival in the Plaka, Athens
Who knew that it snows in Athens? On my way to the island of Paros to teach painting at an art school, I stayed in the Plaka, a historic district near the Acropolis of Athens, …
Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Bonjour! My boyfriend and I indulged in a seven-night cruise of the western Mediterranean. On day two, the vessel docked at Villefranche, France. We decided to explore France on our own instead of booking an …
Blood on the Pomegranate Tree
I remember it was noon on a warm and sunny day. The air smelled of food, dust, gun powder, and smoke, just like every day. I was a dusty-haired six-year-old wearing a sticky dress and …
June 17, 2009
Kuşadası, Turkey
I didn’t know what to expect when our cruise ship ported in Kuşadası, Turkey. I was expecting something completely foreign, but instead found a charming place. In Kuşadası they accepted almost any kind of currency, …
June 4, 2009
Not So Swedish
A man can stand a lot as long as he can stand himself. He can live without hope, without friends, without books, even without music, as long as he can listen to his own thoughts. …
May 6, 2009
Saved by Commander Bell
An old nautical joke is that the difference between a fairy tale and a sea story is that the former begins “Once upon a time…” while the latter begins “Now this ain’t no BS!” Also, …
December 3, 2008
Rebel to Vintner
I can't tell you how it came to pass that the Italian winemakers Mario Schiopetto, Giacomo Bologna, and Maurizio Zanella joined Italian gastronomic giant Luigi Veronelli on a trip to America in 1981, a trip …
Portuguese Hospitality
I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. — Abraham Lincoln Before finalizing …
November 5, 2008
Del Cerro's Jacob Blumenthal unfurls Free Tibet banner at Beijing Olympics
Jacob Blumenfeld delivered what was arguably the most courageous performance by a San Diegan at the recent Beijing Olympics. And he didn’t compete in swimming, track and field, or gymnastics but in the far more …
September 17, 2008